


The Band's Breaking Up

by EndangeredFandom



Category: Tron: Uprising
Genre: Character Study, Family Feud - Freeform, Friendship, Gen, Mara is a mom friend, it's thanksgiving dinner and the fam is talking politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24881119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndangeredFandom/pseuds/EndangeredFandom
Summary: Three chapter piece about Zed, Mara, and Beck's (sometimes conflicting) different point of views.
Relationships: Beck & Mara & Zed (Tron)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14





	1. Zed

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, hope you enjoy! ~~ Endangered

Beck is gone, again. Which meant Zed has to cover his shifts, again. 

Zed knows he complains (a lot) when asked to do Beck’s work, but the garage has to stay on schedule. He always covers for his friend, even after he always claims he won’t do any more work for Beck. Wherever that gridbug of a program is.

The grating sounds filling every inch of the workspace attest to mechanics tirelessly working on their projects. Ever since the so-called “hero of Argon” showed up, he Occupation’s been getting needier. 

“If the ‘Renegade’ is trying to help programs, why are we suffering?” It’s a valid point—and Zed has repeated it over and over in arguments with Mara. She always responds that the Renegade is just trying to stop the tyranny of the Occupation. 

Yeah, sure. Of course he was. 

The Occupation is kind of glitched, there’s no debate about that. But the Renegade causes more problems for everyone. Tesler’s soldiers were everywhere and strict laws and curfews were set in place. 

(At this point in their arguments, Mara usually stomps off, huffing about Zed’s “sheltered existence,” and how he could never understand the good the Renegade does to programs whose lives are being oppressed.) 

“Hey, Zed? Has Beck been by the garage today?” Mara stoops down next to him, and Zed continues working on his bike, focusing on something other than Beck. 

“No, apparently he’s too important to work anymore.” Zed lets out an over-dramatic sigh, dropping his tool. “Seriously, Mara, he gets away with everything! Able just lets Beck skip his shifts and then passes the work on to me.” He picks up his wrench and continues fixing some broken code. Beck left earlier that millicycle, trying to sneak out when he no one thought was watching. Unknown to him, Zed jumped on his own lightbike and tried to follow him. He quickly lost Beck to the twisting, unorganized streets of Purgos. 

What in Flynn’s name was Beck doing in Purgos? Zed still doesn’t know what to say about what he saw. 

Mara frowns. “Beck is still shaken up about Bodhi. We have to give him his space.” she sits down, fiddling with the edge of her lightsuit. Her response, Beck’s excuse, has been worn out. Zed's sick of it. 

Beck needs to come back to reality. He needs to work, to stop ditching his friends, and he needs to give up this habit of sneaking around shifty places. 

“Mara, everyone else has moved on. Bodhi was my friend, too, but  _ I’m  _ not sulking around anymore.” He says it pointedly, and yeah, it’s harsh, but life can’t just stop after one mishap. 

He considers telling Mara about seeing Beck in Purgos. Sure, he’s Beck’s friend, but did Beck still feel the same with Zed? What loyalty does he owe to Beck when the program’s just running off acting suspiciously, plus, he’s making Zed do his work, why should you have to cover for him?

“By the way. Beck’s just slumming around Purgos, now,” Zed mutters, low enough so no one besides Mara will hear. He feels justified at the small betrayal. 

And he instantly regrets that feeling.

But he’s sure he did the right thing.  _ Now that Mara knows, we can help Beck.  _

“Purgos?” Mara’s shocked expression snatches Zed’s attention. “That doesn’t sound like Beck. Maybe he’s doing something for Able.” 

Zed stops working on the lightbike and stands up, waiting for Mara to follow in suit before speaking. “Yeah, right. Able doesn’t send younger programs to  _ Purgos.  _ That place is full of criminals and bad stuff.” He’s been thinking about it for a while, and he can’t give Beck the benefit of the doubt. “Maybe he’s gotten addicted to some sort of tampered energy. It wouldn’t surprise me at this point.”

“Zed! He’s our friend, stop trying to make him the enemy.” Mara's angrier at Zed than he expected.

“I never said he was our enemy, I just think that he should stop running away from his problems. We have enough on our hands with the Occupation’s orders and the Renegade.” Zed tries to placate, raising his hands in surrender. 

“Right now, we need to be united,” Mara states with conviction, some sort of righteous energy filling her posture. 

Zed snorts. “United against what? He just—”

“United against the Occupation,” Mara interrupts, switching the conversation to her regularly scheduled rant about the government’s injustice. “The Occupation is corrupt and evil. They killed Bodhi, thousands of programs exist under its oppression, and Tesler is taking over every part of our lives!” 

“Hey, not too loud!” Zed whispers furiously, looking around to see if anyone heard. The garage is usually safe, sure, but if just one soldier wanders into earshot? This sort of conversation can get you thrown into the games. “Honestly, you can spout rebel propaganda all you like, but try not to get everyone derezzed.” 

Finally deciding that no one overheard, Zed relaxes. 

“It’s not rebel propaganda, it’s—” 

“I don’t care what it is. The rebels are causing problems, the Occupation is causing problems, and right now we should just be focusing on our lives. We’re young; we shouldn’t have to pick sides that could get us derezzed in the future.”

Mara shakes her head, disgusted. “I can’t believe you think that way when so many programs are suffering.” She strides away, fists clenched in anger. 

Zed would’ve happily argued more, about how he wished the rebels would stop fighting so their lives could go back to relative peace. He definitely would’ve pointed out that Mara tends to get overly involved and dramatic. He just wants his life to go back to normal, especially like it was before Bodhi derezzed, when Beck was alright and present in Zed’s life and willing to do his job. 

Zed crouches down again, activating his tool to continue fixing the lightcycle. 

If Beck doesn’t come back soon, he’s going to exchange some words with a few programs. 

  
  



	2. Mara

Beck returns to the garage for the first time in several triples. 

Mara is relieved. After Zed’s confession that he saw Beck going to Purgos, she had been worried. 

“Beck!” she exclaims, jogging over to him. She pings him, curious and overjoyed and silently hoping that Beck will stay at the garage longer than a few millicycles.

And that Beck will finish his work. Though she doesn’t share Zed’s anger towards Beck, she doesn’t want to watch her friends’ relationship fall apart. 

Beck waves at her wearily. He makes an effort to hide his exhaustion, but a quick scan, or even a careful glance, show how low he is on energy.

This is the Occupation’s fault. This is the kind of suffering she wants Zed to notice, just for once. If that sentry hadn’t killed Bodhi, Beck would be fine. 

“Where have you been?” Mara asks, trying to sound innocent. She trusts Zed’s words, but she wants to know if Beck will tell her himself.

“Just around,” Beck says casually, almost too casually for how tired he looks. “Just trying to think.” 

Mara nods slowly. She doesn’t want to put him on edge by mentioning Purgos.

“Any particular place, or…?” she asks, forcing a smile. 

“No place in particular,” Beck responds, slowly.

“Zed and I were planning on going to the club tonight,” Mara coaxes. We’d be back by curfew, of course.” She can’t stop herself from crossing her arms and frowning as she talks about the curfew. Just another way that the Occupation has clamped down on their lives. It’s injustice. 

“Uh, I might be able to go. I’d have to check with Able first, I’m probably way behind schedule.” Beck’s excuse is half-hearted, he knows that Zed took care of all of his missed assignments. Zed makes sure to remind Beck every time he swings by. 

“Okay, but you should still come. You can catch up on work later,” Mara needles, a little put out. 

“I—I might not be here for the next few millis. I have some stuff to take care of,” Beck says, sheepishly. So he won’t be here again.

“Please? Just one night. I promise I’ll get all of your work taken care of.” Mara frowns, looking up at Beck. “We’re your friends, and we haven’t seen you in forever.” 

he other program instantly looks guilty, so he agrees and quickly rushes off to his room.

Zed walks up to Mara, a dry expression on his face and his arms crossed. “Look who’s back. Did you say anything about Purgos?” 

Mara frowns, turning to face Zed, who’s acting like their earlier argument hadn’t happened. 

“No, I think he should tell us himself,” Mara admits. 

“Good. I don’t want him to know that I followed him,” Zed confesses, looking kind of embarrassed. 

Mara stands with Zed, remembering how their argument had gone. It started with their worry for Beck, but progressed into a debate about the Occupation. Zed’s attitude had become kind of heated, and she had gotten sick of arguing the same point over and over. She had slipped away, letting Zed mutter to himself. 

She knows Zed thinks she overreacts with everything, but he has selfish views on the current issues. The Occupation is the root of every problem on the Grid. Take down the Occupation, and life would go back to normal. 

That’s why she graffitied the city: she wants to give programs the hope to fight back. Argon can stand up against the Occupation and take it down. Then, everything would change for the better. 

  
  


Beck takes his time to recharge. Zed keeps complaining that Beck ditched, and they shouldn’t waste the whole night waiting for him. On the other hand, Mara persists. She reassures him that Beck will come. 

Eventually, he does, apologizing several times for being late. He still looks exhausted, and he’s been acting… different, recently. He’s constantly on edge, he never misses anything anymore, he’s always tired and sometimes injured, always trying his best to hide it. 

“I was thinking,” Zed whispers, interrupting Mara’s thoughts. “You know those underground disc fights in Purgos? Hopper was talking about them. Maybe Beck got into that kind of trouble.” 

Mara glances at Beck, sure he isn’t paying attention. He’s walking ahead of them, looking everywhere in a sharp, hurried way. Beck seemed overly vigilant for a simple walk to the club, this new caution concerns Mara.

“I don’t think Beck would do that. here are plenty of other explanations.” Mara tries to think of those other explanations and draws a blank. Underground fighting would match all of the criteria: the trips to Purgos, the injuries, his paranoid attitude, his constant tiredness and flinching. 

Zed shrugs, crossing his arms. 

Beck falls back, joining the group. “So, where are we going?” 

“Just the club,” Zed supplies casually, having dropped the conversation as soon as Beck started walking towards them. 

Mara doesn't say anything, biting her lip. Beck isn’t doing dangerous things, is he? She knows Beck gets angry, but his usual coping mechanism is becoming isolated and ruminating for extensive periods of time, not fighting. That’s more her thing.

Mara is the one who organized a group to fight against the Occupation, in their own way. She’s the one who openly supports the Renegade. Beck just stays silent whenever the hero is brought up. It annoys Mara that Beck seemingly sides with Zed on the issue. 

The group teeters from stunted conversation to silence during the rest of the walk to the club. Mara and Zed can’t engage in small talk knowing that the real conversation they should be having is going unsaid. 

At the club, the young programs secure a table in the corner, not their usual spot, in some unspoken agreement that they need more privacy than normal. They all order drinks before anyone says anything.

“So…” Zed starts awkwardly, rotating his drink to occupy his hands. “What were you doing in Purgos?”

Mara starts at the abrupt, confrontational approach. Beck’s posture immediately goes defensive. He shields the concerned scan Mara sends his way. 

Zed’s scaring Beck off, the only way to get Beck to stay is to take his side. “He doesn’t need to answer that, it’s his business,” Mara tries halfheartedly, also curious for an answer. This happens every time Zed and Mara question Beck. They try to get answers, Beck carefully deflects their inquiries with half-truths and nonchalant shrugs. But now, Mara and Zed have something to use against him, they have knowledge. 

Beck shifts uncomfortably. “I just was thinking and driving. How did you know I was there, anyways?” He frowns suspiciously, looking Zed up and down. It’s strange, Beck’s getting too good at reading other programs without any ping. 

Zed rolls his eyes, leaning back in his chair. “Just thinking? You’ve used that excuse already.”

Mara glares at Zed, tries to convey that if they want Beck to trust them and be their friend again, attacking him won’t fix anything. 

“Ignore his attitude, Beck. We’re just really worried about you. We won’t judge you, we’re your friends.” 

Beck’s face is a careful mask, but he looks generally uncomfortable. “There’s nothing going on, I promise. I’m just really bothered about Bodhi and everything that the Occupation has been doing.” 

Mara can attest to that, the Occupation is messing everything up. Maybe Zed was wrong, maybe Beck is just really sensitive to all the terrible things that have been happening.

Zed opens his mouth to accuse Beck of something, but Mara silences him with a kick underneath the table. “Alright, just remember that we’re here for you, no matter what you’re going through.”

Beck nods slowly, sipping awkwardly from his drink.

They stay seated for a while more, Beck and Mara talk like they used to, but Zed gives clipped, suspicious answers filled with indirect jabs at Beck’s absence. If the comments get to Beck, the program doesn’t show it. 

“Recently, I’ve been working on a lot of stuff in the garage, mostly because we’re behind schedule. It would be really nice to have extra helping hands.” 

“I believe you, the Occupation is really getting demanding,” Beck agrees, downing the rest of his drink.

Zed shoots a frown at Beck. “Yeah, definitely. The Renegade isn’t helping either, if he could stop destroying the Occupation’s vehicles, then we could get a break once in a while.” 

Mara scoffs, rolling her eyes. “You have to get off of the Renegade’s case. He’s a hero,” she says firmly, crossing her arms. 

“Tell that to all of the programs getting hurt because he wants to be special,” Zed points out, matching Mara’s pose. 

Beck withdraws from the conversation, listening intently and drinking. The topic goes back and forth for a while, neither program switching to the other side.

“I have some things to get back to the garage. I’ll see you guys later,” Beck says suddenly, standing up and walking out of the club.

“Yeah, a million cycles later,” Zed exaggerates once Beck leaves, sighing. 

Mara bites her lip, worrying. Without support from her friends, how is she supposed to juggle her priorities between her friends, her job, and her dedication to the rebellion?

  
  



	3. Beck

Beck is so done juggling his priorities between his friends, his job, and the rebellion. 

How is he expected to take down the Occupation while simultaneously fixing lightcycles and warding off suspicious questions from his friends? Usually, he can count on Mara to leave him alone, give him a wide berth and not ask questions. It’s her way of “letting him recuperate.” But he should’ve been prepared to find out that Zed found him in Purgos. 

In all honesty, Beck doesn’t know how much longer he can lie to Mara and Zed. Tron makes leading a rebellion look so easy, but it isn’t. Maybe Tron manages it because he doesn’t have any friends to constantly fuss over him. Beck grins wryly, it’s a weird concept to think of, Tron with friends. The older program has allies, apprentices, but never friends. 

It was hard to watch his friends talk about the Occupation. Zed didn’t necessarily defend it, but he didn’t make a stand to disagree with them. On the other hand, Mara argued that the Occupation is the root of all problems. Sometimes it seems like Mara thinks that once the Occupation is destroyed, it’ll be the end of crime and destruction. 

Beck knows better. The corrupt ideals of the Occupation live in many programs outside of the organization, and some programs even support it. If the rebellion succeeds, it will be extremely difficult to get another form of government into place. That’s where, Beck thinks, Tron would come in. He wouldn’t enjoy it, he might even hate it, but Tron has the respect of the rebellion and other programs. He could hold the Grid together while the rebellion’s leaders come up with the new laws and government. 

He quickly abandons the train of thought. That type of thinking makes Beck feel insignificant to the cause, expendable. He feels too young to make a change, he hasn’t done enough for the rebellion. Tron doesn’t fully trust him, his mentor still sees Beck as inexperienced and naive. It bothers Beck, making him feel out of touch with the rebellion. 

The young program finally makes his way to Able’s garage. Most of the programs have gone to recharge, but many are working tirelessly. Beck tries to go unnoticed, slipping into the garage. Of course he doesn’t escape all of the programs, annoyed glares are thrown his way. 

Beck knows what they say about him: “He’s Able’s favorite, of course he gets away with everything.” Zed has reminded Beck about his new reputation at the garage several times in an attempt to get Beck to stay and work. Unfortunately, Beck has a larger responsibility to the Grid than fixing broken machinery. 

“Beck, long time no see,” Able says from behind the younger program. Beck starts, not hearing Able sneak up on him. 

“Hey, Able. Sorry, I know I haven’t been around for a while. I’ve been busy.” He looks down at the floor, ashamed. There’s so much responsibility piling up, it’s suffocating him. He makes a mental promise to do more work at the garage. Tron will have to understand.

Able nods silently. “Just make sure to get some rest. And do some work, for Flynn’s sake.” The older mechanic leaves without another word, disappearing behind the door to his office. 

Beck nods to no program in particular. He wanders around before finding a broken vehicle, a project for him to work on. Beck gets his tool, crouches down and begins.

  
  



End file.
